Intercommunicating telephone system.



H. T. SLEE. 'INTgRCOMMUNICATING TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

' APPLICATION FILED DEC-4.1913.

Patented May 4, 1915.

ZVOLTMETEEN Gig Herbert T 5 )E'C STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HERBERT TEAL SLEE, OI WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND.

. INTERCOMMUNICATING TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

, To: all whom it may concern dent of Warwick, in the county of Kent and tral battery intercomm unicating telephonesystem, and has/for its object to provide an Telephone Systems,

State *of Rhode Island, United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Intercommunicating of which the following is a specification. a

This invention vrelates to a system of wiring. and switchesv for a test board for a cenarrangement of wires for a system of this character whereb a shortcircuit or ground may be readily ocated without disturbing any of the wires in the system with the exception of those in which the trouble is located, I

. In the ordinary telephone wiring system of this-character now in use,'the diflerentsets of wires, suchas positive andnegative talking, and positive and negative ringing wires, are grouped and soldered or otherwise connected together at different branches over the system and when any trouble occurs, such as short circuiting or grounding the electrician is obliged to unsolder and disconnect. these groups of wires, which naturally puts the whole system out of-commission until the trouble can be located and remedied, after which the wires must again be resoldered together before the service can be restored. Being obliged to throw the whole system out of commission simply for the pur'poseof locatin the trouble on a single mm, is an extreme y annoying condition and indicates, that such a system is incomplete. To obviate this very serious difficulty I have devised a system of wiring a testboard, whereby by the operation of a system of switches the man in char e can readily determine inwhich branch 0 the system the trouble exists-without appreciable interruption of service. By a manipulation of these switches he locates the trouble in ,a certain branch of the system,"then bytes'tihg in the usual manner, through the different tele phones of that branch,- he locates the par ticular troublesome telephone, whichis then disconnected and repairs made in the usual way. .This single i'nstrument,"then, is the only one out of commission during the time invention consists of certain novel features controlling communication throng said Patented May 4, 19 15.

and a mil-ammeter, whereby it is only necessary to position certain switches to readily ascertain the condition of the batteries, either in volts or amperes, and also, byagain manipulating the switches means of this volt meter, dition of the different lines throughout the system, and 1sts it will at once be indicated on the volt meter or on the bell and the trouble. may be remedied in the. manner hereinafter described. A further object of the invention is the arrangement of wires and an 'auXiliar or separate set of switches whereby all of the talking and ringing wires may be/at once disconnected and tests madefor shortbircuits through each air of wires,s'eparately, and when the troubie hasbeen found, by the positioning .of the different switches on theboard; it will at once be indicated by the ringing of a bell, (or by means of the volt meter above described.)

is put out of commission for trouble is commenced, while by my improved system the trouble may be readily.

. being removed.

With these and other-objects in view, the

of construction, as will be more fully de- 0 a I am enabled, by to also test the conif a ground or short circuit ex-.

. In other words, by .the old method' the whole telephone system as soon asvthe test scribed; and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The figure in the accom anying drawing is a diagrammatic view il ustrating a gen;- eral arrangementof the swltches and wires in my improved test board. Y

By test-board in the broadsense in the specification and claims, I mean a limited [zone .orjdistrict through which a certain class of wires'extend, whi'chin the-present instance are'the talkin and ringing wires connected .with' the di erent tele hone in; strumentsin thesystem, and wit in which zone azseries of'switches are arran' ed for wires, rand instruments fare also provided within said Zones. for indicat' trouble in the wiresiofthe system 7 v Referring-to the drawings 10 designates a f xi i j I the repairisbeing effected.

provide the switch board with a voltmeter A further object of my invention is to..-,beneath which-meter islocateda two way volt meter positioned'pn'the switchboard 11,

I switch arm 12, andj -seondgm gw switch-v V arm 13. On the opposite side of the 13 mounted 'a nuhaznmotcr it from. fill'lQlL second or so switches ror The pairs oi. switches in r of: tho board arc connects by Wires to the various cahlss of the diil'cren branches indicated by the wires 25 to 2:. inclusive, which w cs are the. only ones deemed necessary to show in this drawing for illust sting the operation of my invcntion, those crmnected to thcothcr switches being omitted. In otl'icr words, a pair of talking and a pair ringing wires are included in each branch or cable and nu1n' her ofsuch cables determine number of feed wiresyind switche for controlling t i same that shall he mounted upon the board. iustancc, the pun. oi wires 95 and 26 and and 39., cor the talk ,ing and ringing wire 'z-Hted to the cable 3%, wlowiv, and and 32 are conncctcd to the z F snide S 3. and. so on, one pair from each ...do of thc hoard is connected to ouch cubic.

,Whcn it dcsired to take n ing the switch 12 is moved to the point 36 on the positive side and the switch 13 is movedto the point 37 on the negative side, which connects the volt meter with the circuit. The first two knife switches 17 and 18 are positioned and the current from the talking battery 38 passes through the main talking lines 39 and and the "voltage of the talking batteries is indicated .on the volt meter. Thn by witl'idrawing th'esc switches ..17 and 18 and inserting switches 19 and the voltage of the ringing batteries 41 passes I l in throu 'h wires 42' and 43 and the voltage of'these hatteries isthen indicated. To find the'amperage ofthese batteries the levers l5 and 16 are placed on the'positive and negative points 44: and 45 respectively and then by manipulating the levers 21 and 22 andthen 23 and 24, in the manner of operating the corresponding switches on the opposite side of the board es vedcscrihed, the amperage of the talking ringing batteries may he indicated respectively on the mil-amructer. v V 1 I In testing for grounds the lever 12 is placed on r a point 36, and the lever 13 is connected to the ground pointxifi, next the switch 17 is connected and if the negative side of the talking batteries is grounded a reading will he obtained on the volt meter of theamount of ground. Next, switch 17 is withdraw. and switch 19 is connected, which will indicate if the negative side of thc ringim nutterics arev grounded. The

sums tcst can he made through the switches and to ascertain if the positive side of either these hattcries is grounded. (fl-round the. hsttcry l ines' are also indicated by sirni of six volts, 1'01 utiv'c side talking hatte arranged as follows: roinain on the volt inctc remains in position tancc, appears on the negrics the switches The connections asheforc, switch first one or the unused. lVhcn title oca sci the switches be withdrawn and of each of the different pairs of switches- W on the voltthis particular cubic i nl he tested out until the in his is definitely located. When this "telephone itself is disconnected and the" switches controlling this cahleare replaced leaving only the single. one affected instrunuu disconnect-ed, the-rest of the" service is unintcrm-ptcdj The same procedure is followed to ascc'rtain the trouble in either of the poles when either of the talking wires or eitherof the ringing wires tire grounded.

To test for a short circuit the series of four switches 47, which connect the main battery lines 39 to 43 inclusive, are with drawn,'thc pair of switches S at the lowcr end of the board is thcn 'position'ed. The current thcn'must pass from the hatterv .41

through wires and it) and boil 50, and if thisbell does not ring shortcircuit of the circuit exists. If it does ring, withdraw and return each one of the pair of switches from 1 to 7, on the left of the board, one at a time, as was done in the other tests. "If the trouble/is not located'it not in" this side of the board. Thcn'withdraw'the pair of switches 8 and insert the pair of switches 9 and continue the manipulation of the different levers on the right of the board until the bell is silent which indicates the location made' of the defective branch and repairs are in the usual manncn, 1

It is found in applying my improved testbo'ard to'some systemsof telephone hviring that by positioning the switches a and b of the pan 8 a short circuit through anyl of the positive or negative talking lines, or on any of the party lines, it existing, wouldgbe ihdicatcd by the ringing of the bell 50. If-it is found that a short circuit does exist then i5: is known that the short is either on the battery feed wires or on the party line. To determine whether it is the party lines or the talking battery lines I remove switch I) -and"insert switch a of the pair 8, which is the negative talking, and switch of the pair 9, which is the positive ringing. If now the bell should continue to ring it would indicate a short on the party line which may be readily remedied in the usual way.

In order to provide another method or means for determining a short as to whether it is on the party or the battery feed line I have mounted an auxiliary switch 53, which is connected to the wire 42, on the negative side of the ringing battery wire, and may be connected to the contact 51 on the wire 52,

-municating telephone system, but I do not wish to be restricted to this particular form of wiring, or to the particular arrangement of the switches, as the same may be arranged in many different ways to perform the same general function. Neither do I wish to be restricted to the use of my improved test board in a central battery inte'roommunicating telephone system as the same may be employed in any system of telephone Wiring for which it may be adapted without parting from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim.

1. In a telephone wiring system, a test board comprising two series of wires extending throu h said board from the batteries to the diiIerent telephones for talking and switch for each ringing, the talking wires being arranged on one portion and the ringing wires on an- 4.5 other portion of the board, an independent wire whereby communication therethrough may be momentarily interrupted, and means in the system for indicating trouble.

2.111 a telephone system, a test board comprising a plurality of wires and switches connecting the batteries and telephone instruments for talking and ringing, means for readily disconnecting the battery current from all of said Wires, means for supplying current to any pair of lines to test for short circuit therethrough, and means for indicating when a short occurs.

3. In a telephone wiring system, a test board comprising a plurality of wires and switches connecting the batteries and telephone instruments for talking and ringing,

a separate set of switches controlling the mains from the batteries for disconnecting said battery current from all of said wires, a separate air of wires, a pair of switches through w iich current may be supplied to any pair of lines, and means for indicating whena short circuit is found;

I. In a telephone system, a test board comprising a plurality of wires and switches connecting the batteries and telephone instruments for talking and ringing, means for readily disconnecting the-battery current from all of said wires, means for supplying current to any pair of lines to test for short circuit therethrough, and means in the sys tem for indicating when trouble exists therein.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in,presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT TEAL SLEE.

' Witnesses HOWARD E. BAnLow, E. I. OGDEN. 

